


Parting Gift

by EmJ93



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 16:50:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18123926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmJ93/pseuds/EmJ93
Summary: Aloth is leaving Caed Nua to return to his own life. Having realised her feelings for him a while before, but never having told him, Ariela is struggling to maintain a happy facade in face of his departure.





	Parting Gift

She’d known that he was going to do this. That he would leave in the early hours of the morning, before anyone else in Caed Nua was up and about, so that he could avoid any kind of prolonged goodbye. 

There had been something so final about the way that he had said goodnight to her when they had been retiring to their individual rooms the evening before, and in that moment she had realised his plan. And so, in the early hours of the next morning, before the sun had even begun to rise, Ariela was already waiting just outside of the doors to Brighthollow, leaned against the cool stonework and attempting to look as casual as possible when Aloth slunk out of them, pack on his back, and pulling up the hood of his cloak as he readied himself for his travels.

She arched a brow in his direction as he took a slight step backwards, surprise clear on his face, and she moved into his path with her best attempt at a scolding expression. “Did you  _really_  think I was going to let you leave without a proper goodbye?”

“I hadn’t realised that I had been so obvious about my intention to head out.” He averted his gaze from her, guiltily, fingers reaching out to toy with the material of his cloak, and she softened her expression quickly.

“Well, I feel like we’re rather close at this point. I’ve gotten good at reading between the lines when it comes to you.” That wasn’t quite what Ariela meant, though it was the only way she knew how to communicate her true feelings. She  _hoped_  that they were close. She had certainly come to care about him dearly over the course of the time they had spent together, and considered him her closest friend. More than that, in fact. She might never have admitted to it out loud, but she had known now for the past few months that she had come not just to care for him, but to  _love_  him. And she had paid close attention to his every move ever since.

“I should have known that there’s no fooling you.” Aloth attempted a wry smile, though he still didn’t quite meet her eye when he spoke. After a few moments, he let out a long sigh, then finally met her gaze with a conflicted expression. “I just worried that it might be uncomfortable. To say goodbye. And… well, I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Disappoint me?” Ariela repeated his words, a deep frown forming on her face as she did so. “Darling, you could never disappoint me. Why would you…?”

“I appreciate everything that you have done for me, Ariela, and I value our friendship above any other.” His expression softened briefly, lips tugging into a gentle smile as he glanced in her direction, before it faded back into hesitancy as he continued to speak. “But I think that this is something that I need to do. And I was concerned that you would rather I not leave.”

Of course she would rather he not leave. She thought the world of him, and had thoroughly been enjoying his company now that she had begun to carve out some level of normalcy in her life once again. So many of the others had already returned to their own lives, and while she had been happy to know that they were happy, it had still been a bittersweet feeling to watch them leave her behind. And she hadn’t even _loved_ any of them. But even so, she would never stand between anyone and the life that they chose for themselves. Particularly not someone that she cared for.

“I’ll certainly miss you.” Ariela admitted, and she fought back the tears threatening to well in her eyes as she finally spoke the words out loud. “But I think you’ve had your decisions made for you for quite long enough, don’t you?”

Aloth smiled appreciatively, his entire body language relaxing in an instant, as though she had just lifted a heavy burden from his shoulders. “I do. Thank you, Ari.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for.” Ariela attempted to mirror his expression, forcing her face into a smile even as her heart broke at the thought of no longer having him around. “Just promise me you won’t forget that there’s always a home for you here. If you ever need a break, I’d be happy to have you around again. And if you ever need anything, I’m only a letter away.”

“I know. I appreciate your generosity.”

“It’s not generosity, Darling.”  _I love you._  “You’re my dearest friend.”  _I love you._ “It’s just what you deserve.”

The words kept flowing from her lips, and yet they were all the wrong ones, her confession of love refusing to be spoken aloud. She had kept it to herself all of this time, she supposed, perhaps it  _was_  best that she didn’t make a grand confession now. Though she knew in her very soul that this was likely her last chance to do so, that once he walked out of the gates of Caed Nua, she would probably never get an opportunity to tell him how she felt again; what would a confession  _now_  even achieve? He had already chosen to leave. 

“I…” Aloth began, though he promptly trailed off from his thought. “I should head out.”

“Yes. Of course.” After a moment of hesitation, Ariela moved out of his way, silently bringing up her hands to gesture grandly towards the path ahead of him, towards the gates of Caed Nua. Biting hard on her lower lip, she pushed back the next wave of tears that threatened to spill out of her, this one more insistent than the last. She had smiled for each of her friends as they left, and she would smile for Aloth too. “Your future awaits.”

Aloth took a couple of steps, and then paused, looking back at her meaningfully. “Thank you for everything, Ariela. Please take care of yourself.”

“You too.” She nodded, and managed to keep her smile in place until the moment after he turned away.

Silent tears streamed down her face as she watched him make his way across the grounds, heading for the gate, leaving her there, all alone in the morning chill. She should be happy for him, she knew, and yet she knew that she was going to miss him. The ache in her heart whenever she thought about a future without him in it told her that much. 

And she had never even told him how she felt.

“Aloth, wait!” Bringing up a hand to wipe the tears from her face, she set after him in a jog, catching up with him just as he was about to reach the East Gate.

He turned back to regard her with a curious expression, tilting his head ever so slightly. “Ariela?”

“Sorry, I just… Aloth, I…”  _I love you._  “I… I have something for you.” Forcing another smile, she reached into the pocket of her jacket, producing a small cloth pouch, and holding it out in his direction. “I almost forgot.”

His eyes moved between her face and the pouch in her hand a couple of times before he reached out to take it. “You didn’t have to.”

“Just a little something to remember me by.” She informed, as he opened up the pouch and began to examine the contents. It was a simple silver pendant, with a small charm the same shade of blue as his eyes. One that she had bought for him just over a month ago, in Twin Elms, the same day that they had finally emerged from Sun in Shadow to rejoin the rest of the world, but that she had somehow never quite found the right moment to give him. “It’s enchanted. It’ll make you harder to hit.”

“Ari, I couldn’t possibly….”

“Yes you could.” She reached out towards him, fingers brushing against his as she pressed his hand closed around the jewelry. Wrapping her other arm around his waist, she pulled him into a hug, and was relieved to find that he didn’t resist her affection, instead wrapping one arm around her to return the gesture. As she eventually began to pull away, she pressed up onto her toes to place a gentle kiss against his cheek, the slight blush that coloured Aloth’s face in response causing her first natural smile of the morning. “Good luck, Aloth. And stay safe.”

She still hadn’t told him how she felt, she realised, as she watched him make his way through the gate and out into the world beyond. But perhaps that was just something that needed to remain unsaid.


End file.
